Come and Get It
by Genasyz
Summary: Sly, naughty Shunsui took something from his fukutaicho and leads her to a wild chase! she's determined to get it back. but for what price? this taicho will teach her a lesson she'll never forget. Chapter 5: The Lone Flower. COMPLETE!
1. stolen!

**Title: Come and Get It.**

**AN:** This story is for BlackVelvetBand's Shunsui Nanao challenge. Let's fill the world with more Shunsui Nanao-ness!! Whhoot!

**Summary:** Sly, naughty Shunsui took something from his fukutaicho and leads her to a wild chase! Nanao's determined to get it back, but for what price? This taicho will teach his lovely fukutaicho a lesson she'll never forget…….Enjoy!

**Rating:** K+ to T…..it's pretty tame.

**Disclaimer:** Kyouraku Shunsui and Ise Nanao belongs to no one but Kubo Tite.

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**Chapt. 1. Stolen!**

Nanao examined several files of reports, fiddling with her pen in her right hand. She yawned and tossed the files on the mountainous 'waste' pile. The morning light filtered through the half-curtained window. She yawned again as she proceeded to another stack of papers. With the help of the box of chocolates Matsumoto gave her and her caffeine-filled tea, she was able to stay up another night to finish her irresponsible taicho's paperwork which was growing _cobwebs_ on his desk after being left unnoticed for months.

Her head bobbled at the weight of the word 'sleep.' After signing the fifth paper, she unconsciously began to drift off, her eyelids slowly retiring. She fought it of course, she being the strict perfectionist who never left a job half done; but her body didn't respond. She was losing control of her own body. Cursing mentally, she thought of the only way to wake her from this sleepy state.

_Her taicho._

She imagined him lounging on the office couch—half_ naked_. His well toned torso was bare, the rest of his clothing, including his silly haori on his lap. A seductive smile was curled on his lips as he held a cup of liquid to his chin looking so…_so sexy_!

Blood rushed to her head and her eyes fluttered open. She had recently discovered how her taicho could be such an excellent wake-up call.

_'Tsk. Dreaming naughty images of your superiors again, Nanao. How inappropriate,'_ a side of her reproached. More color tainted her guilty cheeks._ Thank god it's only 6!_ She'd literally die of embarrassment if someone caught her blushing like one of _that_ man's fangirls.

_'But, god, he looked amazing with his chest stripped of those annoying clothing…'_

_'No! Stop it! Stop it!'_ her proper side snapped at the other. Nanao shook her head to rid of the dirty thought. _I'm even losing control over my mind! Stop it, Nanao, stop it._

She distracted herself with the last few remaining files of work—reading, signing, reading, signing, and occasionally dumping a few into the 'waste' pile. She completed the twentieth file when her taicho's charm began loosing its effect; and before she was able to conjure another image of the man, sleep conquered her quietly.

* * *

The eighth division captain walked to his office, head throbbing from all the alcohol consumption with his best drinking partner, Rangiku, the previous night. Last night was still a little fuzzy to him, but the memory of laying his ears on the most _delicious _rumor about his Nanao-chan was imprinted on his mind.

_"Hey, Shunsui," a drunk Matsumoto groaned, whisking a bottle of liquor into her mouth. "Have ya heard of the rumor? It's an old one but what the heck, I overheard a few of our men talking 'bout it—hic—"_

_"Rumor? What rumor?"_

_"It's about your **lovelyyyyyyy Nanaaaaaooo-chan**!" she sang, pouring her partner another cup._

_"Nanao-chan? What 'bout her?"_

_Matsumoto giggled like a school girl over a juicy gossip. "some people say your Nanao-chan looks** awfuuullyyyy** cute without her glasses. See? She can attract a string of men after all if it weren't for those silly frames—hic."_

_His interest piqued. "Oh really?" he stopped, eyebrows arched. He had always wondered what she would look like without those lenses in the way of those darling eyes._

_"Hic—yup. I'm the gossip queen. How can I be wrong? Ya know, you should try it one day—hic—see if it's true." _

_"Maybe. You know my Nanao-chan. I might not see another day or another bottle of sake if I did!"_

_Matsumoto nodded her head. She looked like a mass of jelly after her fourth bottle, unable to control her actions due to severe intoxication. "Might be worth it though…." She mumbled before her soft snores were the only noise that escaped her mouth, deep inside her blissful dreams._

He chuckled at the memory. Today, he was going to give his Nanao-chan the shock of her life by arriving early—**very, very early**. Often times going to work at about mid-day because of a very unpleasant hangover, six o'clock was still nighttime to him. To add another inch of the distance her jaw will drop, he was actually considering working on that month old paperwork lying forgotten somewhere on his desk. Yes, that's right,**_ work_** on his paperwork by **_will._** But he had an agenda tucked under the long sleeves of his haori of course. Maybe—just maybe—if he got to his disciplinarian lieutenant's good side, he might get his hands on those frames without acquiring any severe facial disformities.

_My lovely Nanao-chan!_ He hummed a soft, happy tune the rest of the way, a jaunty smile stamped on his face.

It was disappointing to see that his plan had been foiled when he caught a glimpse of a sleeping beauty behind his lieutenant's desk, her glasses threatening to fall off her nose. The pen was still clasped on her hand, stubborn and nimble fingers refusing to let go. Mountain ranges of white paper were stacked neatly on the floor, while the unfinished part stayed on the desk. He tentatively viewed the files, making sure not to leave any careless wrinkles on its smooth texture.

It was his month-old work that his workaholic lieutenant couldn't resist to leave behind knowing it's not yet done. _Ah, my lovely, hardworking Nanao-chan,_ he thought sadly, eyeing the pieces of chocolate wrappers and bags of tea on the floor. _Tsk, you stayed up working through the night again?_ He listened to her steady breathing. For once, she looked so vulnerable and relaxed with those sharp eyes closed, her face serene like a child's. It all added to her angelic beauty.

He focused on her glasses resting just on the tip of her nose and grinned coyly, the brightest idea popping into mind. _My cute, lovely, Nanao-chan, looks like you're taking a day off work…._

* * *

Nanao wrinkled her nose. _Why does it feel as if…_Her eyes popped open, blurry images meeting her as she sat up on her chair. She couldn't feel the distinctive weight of her glasses on her nose. She calmly searched her clothes, thinking that perhaps it fell off while she slept then turned to the floor. Calm turned to a frantic search when her frames didn't appear. Her hands groped blindly for her drawer, sighing mentally when her fingers came in contact with the case of her contact lenses. She made a note to thank the death god whose name she had forgotten who had advised her to keep a spare pair of contacts nearby 'just in case something might happen.' She gingerly attached the fragile lenses to her violet eyes. And it took her a while to adjust her eyesight at something she hardly used, her face feeling somewhat exposed and naked.

An eye-catching pink slip on her desk instantly became visible among all the white paperwork. The handwriting was evidently messy, meaning there's only one man who could've written it.

Her taicho.

As she deciphered the scribbles, her teeth clenched tightly together while an oversized vein surfaced on her temple.

**"KYOURAKU TAICHO!!!"**

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Ta-da! I think this is a cliffie. (bwahahah) so that means readers should leave a review so I can update the next chapter faster. Feel free to point out any typos or just offer constructive criticism. Thanks for reading and sorry if it's short. Till next time!

--Genasyz—(**Review please)**


	2. the search for the pink note!

**AN:** ok, super late update. This chapter was supposed to be updated last week, but all the complications of shopping and installing a new computer made it impossible to do. Hehehehe. To the late chapter! (So sorry)

**Chapt. 2. The searh for the pink note!**

Nanao made her way down the familiar halls. It led to her favorite place in Seireitei, the one place where she can sit down with a book in hand and a thousand more around and read in peace.never did she imagine that a day would come that she'll feel so angry in entering her sanctuary. She tightened the merciless grip on the pink note trapped in between her knuckles. Her taicho's teasing voice ehoed inside her head as she recalled his letter.

_Dearest, cutest Nanao-chan!!!_

The next sentence refrained her from crumpling the note,which she thought was awfully wise of him in considering how she had turned down all of his silly love notes before reaching the third line.

_Before you tear this note into little bits like you did to the thousands of my precious heart-poured notes, I want to inform you that…You look so cute without those glasses, my kawaii kawaii Nanao-chan!_

She swore she could see his perverted grin in her mind's eye.

_Reminiscing our days together,_

_Endears my heart forever and ever._

_Can't seem to stop thinking of you.._

_I just can't, no matter what I do._

_Perfectly fine the way you are,_

_Especially 'cause you're in my heart._

Oh the temptation to put the note in flames with a single blast of kidou!

_Nanao-chan, you won't get away with overworking all night this time. As punishment, I will have you do a few errands for me. Instructions are written on similar notes which you'll find after successfully finishing the assigned task._

_Errand # 1._

_Go to the central library. A note is insewrted inside a book that will tell you what your next errand is. Happy note hunting, my clever, beautiful Nanao-chan!_

_You're loving and caring Taicho,_

_ Kyouraku Shunsui_

He added a post note at the bottom that indicated how well he knew her.

_P.S. considering how my Nanao-chan will probably think of this as silly, ridiculous, and a complete waste of time, she will most likely refuse to follow it and look for her adorable taicho instead. That's why I will just have to tell her that she will not find me or her beloved glasses (which is in capable hands) without following my errands._

He hid exeptionally well and actually kept his word when he warned her that she won't find him. He wasn't in the sake houses, or in every possible napping places. She had scouted every known garden and rooftop in the eighth division territory with no avail, leaving her no option but to follow his stupid note…

* * *

Nanao twitched at the attention she had been receiving since she made her public appearance.

"Look! Isn't that the eighth division lieutenant, Ise Nanao-san?"

"No kidding! She looks _cuter than_ her. Maye just a look alike?"

I think it's her. Look at those sharp eyes." A girl nudged at the man beside her as she passed them by.

The man nodded. "You're right," he whispered back. "But damn, she does really look…_hot_."

"Shhh! She might hear you!"

"Hey, check it out. She looks amazing, don't you think?" a group of males conversed in hushed—yet still audible—tones.

"Yeah…."

Nanao could've melted on the spot due to severe blushing without her glasses to cover it up and deliberately quickened her steps on one of Seireitei's busiest hallways. cute and hot were _definitely_ never a part of her adjectives.

That morning, she was finally able to prove that all the sake had gotten to her taicho's brain and was already affecting his thinking.

It was relieving to enter the massive library door. As usual, it was free from any signs of human life and activities—that inluded the the raised eyebrows, dropped jaws, and aghast expressions everyone gave her, _especially the men_. Never had she felt so conscious about her appearance. They were all looking at her as if she had some kind ofd volanic zit on her flawless forehead, for heaven's sake! Countless rows of dusty shelves lined the room, some nearly reaching the ceiling. There was eerily silent draped on the room that bothered her for the first time as she made her inspection. Each shelf held at least a thousand of written records. Looking for one, _unspecific _book would take heart least a decade! She swore under her breath, tapping her well-trimmed nails on a table. This was the perfect time to use all the data she had gathered over the years on her Taicho's way of thinking—not that she believed he uses it a lot...

_Now, if I was a sly, dirty old man who constantly evades work to take naps and drink my alcohol, where will I hide that stupid note…_she pondered on the question for only ten seconds beforew coming up with an answer. She headed to the food section, namely the _alcohol _section. She handled the spine with enough care for a baby. The books about alcohol wasn't few in number either. There was about half-shelf full of them titled: _Sake for the Soul, Healthy Living with Your Favorite Wine, The Many Benefits of Alcohol, Steps in Creating the Perfect Drink,_ and other books she honestly thought was useless. She fanned out the yellowing pages of those books in search for any signs of pink. None appeared.

Gasp. She couldn't possibly be wrong, right?

She tried books from other sections like: _How to Sleep Easily Night After Night, Effective Pick-up lines for women, Understanding Women, The Book of Romantc Poetry, 1000 ways to please women, What a Girl Wants,_ and other books not worth mentioning at all. Still no sign of the pink note.

She racked her brains for more information. Where else could he hide it? Surely he wouldn't make her check every single book in the library. It was like searching for a needle among thousands of hay stacks! In other words, it was crazy.

_Where? Where?_ She impatiently tapped her nalis on the poor table until it dulled. Her hands unconsciously reached for her glasses, touching the skin on her nose instead of hard metal. The feeling of nakedness came back, along with much restlessness. Enough reiatsu was gathered in her hands, the power enough to turn the place into ashes just at the tip of her fingers. She groaned exasperatedly and buried her forehead in her arms. _Why do I have to have such a childish captain who plays these ridiculous pranks like a 7-year old instead of acting his** ancient** age as he should be?!?_

"Why? O, why?" she repeated, banging her forehead on her arm. She drew out the pink slip out of her pant's pocket and read it over and over again as she'll know where the note was hidden by just reading it.

She frowned in uncertainty when she came upon her taicho's poem for the fifth time. She discarded the rest of the words and focused on the first letter of every line that seemed to form a word.

"R-E-C-I-P-E," she dictated the vertical writing slowly.

Bingo. So her taicho wasn't going loony after all. (though it was easier to believe he was...)

Not a second of her time was wasted. If she remembered it correctly, the recipe category was the 5th shelf at the back of her left. She steered herself to the designated place and was relieved to find that her memory hadn't failed her yet. Recipes of all sorts of food were arranged in alphabetial order from top to bottom so that it occupied a whole shelf. It would take her three hours if she searched the whole shelf. Maybe an hour if she got lucky again. And so with the vital piece of information she got pressed into her photographic memory, Nanao commenced her note hunting in the dead stillness of the library.

* * *

She wiped the sweat off her temple with her sleeves while single-handedly flipping the pages. Two hours had gone down the drain and she had lost count of how many books she had finished after repeating the same routine over and over again. Get a book from the shelf, scan it for anything pink, and discard it to the mass of fellow 'empty' books on the floor. Leaning on the ladder, she carefully reached for another one, cusing when it slipped off her fingers and fell on the floor a few feet below. This forced her to climb back down. She retreived the book, her pissed off attitude getting the best of her that she handled the book with rare hostility for the first time in her life, flipping the leaves of the book roughly. And then somewhere between those pages, it appeared and disappeared as fast as it came.

The pink note.

It woke her from her moody state in an instant and she flipped the pages again until she stood face to face with the pink note inserted between pages. As expeted, a new set of instructions were written on it and she might as well could've ripped it in two. After all, the first word made it clear that what she'll be doing won't be a pleasurable experience at all.

Cook.

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Hmmm…..i think I might've ended with another cliffie, but oh well! (Devilish grin) I hope to make it in time for the judging but I still have 3 more chapters to go. Wah. It's already finished in paper so I'll just have to type it out. If possible, I might update every other day. Till next time. (you'll see me again soon.) please feel free to point out any errors. i'm sort of in a hurry since school starts in an hour.

--Genasyz--

**disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. The poem isn't mine either, but Jayelle's. she's the only person I know who could come up with a poem in five minutes without even trying so hard.


	3. nanao's cooking experience

**AN:** Hope I was able to update fast enough and I apologize for the typos from the last chapter and this chapter. Another thing, remember, rainy weather is so nice.

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**Chapt. 3. Nanao's Cooking Experience.**

Cooking wasn't a particular favorite subject of Nanao. In fact, she purposely avoided her Home Economics class back at the academy. Oh yes, she also knew ways of getting out of classes she disliked, and this was the most hated of them all—cooking. It made her wonder whether that man knew of this weakness and wanted to spite her or maybe he's just a clueless idiot. She concluded both.

A kitchen behind the mess hall had been specially reserved for her use, and she found it spotless and ready to use, complete with every type of ingredient and cooking materials, just as the note said. The white tiles made her even more guilty at the prospect of what it will become after she's through with it. This made her curse him even more.

_Cook Lunch, errand#2._

_Congratulations Nanao-chan!!_

_If you got this note at the same day you received my first note, then that'd mean you didin't burn or tore my notes to little bits_ (she imagined him to be weeping in joy)_ and found my hidden message! And probably as expeted of my clever lieutenant, it's about lunch time by the time you'll be receiving this. Time to cook lunch. On the page where my note in inserted are various recipes for the meal you'll be eating. Finish this errand and the next note will come to you…..Happy cooking and eating, my delicious lieutenant!_

_Your avid admirer,_

_Kyouraku Shunsui._

The recipes on the two pages included soba noodles for the appetizer, chicken and egg sobaro for the main course, and cheesecake for the dessert. With a pallid face, she rolled her sleeves to her shoulder, and she equipped herself with her body armpr called 'apron' and headgear called 'bandana.' Wearing an apron that says: 'I love cooking,' she flexed and loosened some muscles and prepared to be plunged into a heated battle of fire and iron.

* * *

'Measure four cups of wheat flour into a bowl," Nanao read aloud, dumping four cups full of the white substane into the shiny, metal bowl. "Add a cup of water and gradually mix." She poured half of the cup into the soft flour, mixing it gently with a wooden spoon. The flour clamped into a small harder substance, and she added the rest of the liquid. "Knead dough…knead…" her mind flew back to her academy days, at the time she feigned a stomach cramp to get out of her Home Economics class. Their lesson had been baking pastries at that time and come to think of it, she never _did_ bother to learn of the art. Nanao fixed her eyes on the word cluelessly and tapped her foot. "Knead…" the lieutenant scraped the mixture into the table and began molding them together like dry clay. It was a bit of a messy job—a reason why she hates it to the extremes—that had to be done and so she continued squishing the mixture in between her hands. Needless to say, whether it was right or wrong, she didin't care and directed her mind on completing the task as quickly as her limited knowledge can allow her to. The lump of dough formed from the molding but with little bits falling off.

Seeing a big improvement on the dough formation brought a quick comforted smile on her face, and she shaped the dough carefully. She pinched a section to make a sharp, pointed nose, delving her fingers into the substance for a set of droopy eyes and curled mouth. "My, Kyouraku Taicho looks pale!" she jested at the round inanimated figure. A punch landed on the nose. "That's for steasling my glasses, you lazy flirt!" another powerful punch struck the dough Shunsui's eye. "that's for playing with me with your stupid notes, and this," her strong fist flattened the jaw section. "That's being so…disturbingly good looking." She pulverized every side of the model, leaving no portion untouched. By the time she was done with it, the once Shunsui look-alike dough was now successfully a indescernable piece of lump. She read her next instructions. "Roll the dough thouroughly into a thin sheet."

Well, that much she knew. She took into her hands the wooden rolling pin on the counter and rolled it on the dough, smirking. In her mind's eye, she saw a bulldozer running over his face repeatedly.

_'Having violent thoughts this time, Nanao, tsk,'_ she scolded herself. _'How fickle of you. One minute you're fantasizing of the man unclothed and the next you want to kill him!'_

Her hands folded the sheet into one-fourths and started cutting it into thin strips of noodles. The boiling pot welcomed the thin dough and was set aside to cook. The soya sauce had already been prepared in the large sauce gourd—ok, maybe not the same sauce needed, but close enough!

_Hmm…this isn't so ad after all…_Nanao mused, cooling the set of soft noodles in cold water. _I didn't do too bad either_, she encouraged, looking down on the freshly made noodles on the glass plate, a cup of sauce standing prettily on the side.

The first dish was complete, and it was time to move on to the second dish—the main course.

"Chicken and egg sobaro. Step one, cook the rice." She hunted for the supporting instruction but found none. "Cook the rice…." There had always been the cafeteria to cook such simple things, so she never found it necessary to care. Once again, Nanao stared at the book blankly—even almost helplessly. _Almost_, if her pride wasn't in the way. It was in these few moments that Nanao didn't know what to do. Who would've thought that _the_ Ise Nanao, the one who's always on top of her game and always the 'prepared one' in the entire division would have absolutely no idea in…_cooking rice._

She shook the feeling of defeat and stompped off to the strange device called the rice cooker. There were no instruction on it either , and she let out a moan of frustration. Time was flying out of the window—fast.

'Let's get this over with, Nanao," she said with sheer determination, filling the machine with a cup of rice and with equal amount of water. She pushed the start switch and went back to the cooking table in higher spirits.

"Step two, put ½ ib. ground chicken meat, three tablespoons of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin; and a teaspoon of ginger juice in a pan." Seasonings of every kind were already lined up in the orner for convenience and so only the measuring was needed. Nanao took her sword (a.k.a her spatula) and stirred the red meat. "Saute' meat, stirring constantly until moisture is gone," she read and pursed her lips._ I'm sure you won't need to stir it constantly. The moisture will recede eventually anyway_, she rationalized, jumping to step four to conserve both time and energy. "beat eggs with one tablespoon sugar, mirin, and a half-teaspoon of salt." She didn't rememer anything on egg cracking, meaning she must've been skipped class again at that time.

The art of egg-cracking is a skill that is often underestimated, and Nanao wasn't excluded. She found it complicated if not irritable. You can't hit the egg too hard or else it will spill a portion of its sticky contents. Handling the egg should also be done in a gentle-like manner. Applying too much pressure on your fingers to split the shell in two would result in messy fingers; likewise, applying too little pressure wouldn't split the shell at all.

Nanao struck her fifth egg on the table's edge. Having yet to master the precise amount of force needed, the egg white mixed with the yellow yolk streamed down the sides and pooled on the floor. Her hands reached for another, her pride simply not allowing a freaking egg to beat her. She will learn—even if that means depleting the division's hoarded egg stash.

The eighth shell landed on top of the waste bin, its shell neatly cracked in two. She finally got it right. She couldn't stop the curl of her lips as she flicked her wrist and gently knocked the shell on the cement, using the egg's broken crevice to successfully split the shell. An immaculate egg plopped on the bowl, its golden-colored yolk as round as the full moon at the center of the transparent gel of raw egg white. Her chin was held high in a smug grin at the newfound achievement, but didn't stay so for long. She sniffed the air, a mixture of burned insence and meat entering her nostrils.

Eyes widened in dread. "Shit!" she cried out in a shamefullly audible tone, running over to the unattended stove.

Smoke nearing black errupted from the skillet, concealing the chicken beneath the layers of thick unceasing blankets. She switched the fire off and took the pan away from the stove in a frantic attempt to save whatever was left. Her eyes narrowed in disgust as she examined the smoking pitch black remains of the chicken and pryed the rock-like material off the pan.

It was the_ ugliest_ chicken meal she'll ever eat.

A new skillet was set on top of the stove for another shot at the eggs. Her grip tightened around the plastic handle that she could break it easily anytime she wished. Sweat and toil paid off at the tremendous triumph of the scrambled eggs—if not a teensy bit too dry. The rice was fairly good as well, excluding the burned patch at the bottom and the dry texture.

Panting heavily, she crossed the second dish out and tapped the pen on the last and most diffocult dish of them all in the recipe page—the dessert, cheesecake.

_Preheat oven (350 degrees) and coat cake tin with oil._

Lifesaving instructions were written on the upper lid of the oven, solving her lack of knowledge in operating machines problem.

_Beat 7 ounces of cream cheese with ¼ cup of whole milk to soften._

The brunette winced as she handled the dairy, moving her right arm clockwise as she dissolved the strong-scented cheese into the white liquid. She never did like dairy products and truly wondered if he knew about that personal information. Probably not.

_Add ½ cup of sugar, 3 eggyolks, ¼ cup of cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Beat until smooth._

Cracking eggs already took her eight of the freaking poultry, what more to separate the yolk from the white?

She swore a bunch of swear words under her breath which she noticed, she had been doing a lot that day. It was a good thing no one was around to hear it, especiallt Shunsui who would definitely comment on her rare lack of cool that is a severe sign of deterring professionalism.

Juggling the yolk from one half of the shell to the other to rid of the egg white was a detestable job that required loads of mental patience and a high tolerance for neatness—both of which she lost hours ago. She balled her fist, wishing it was his neck she was choking instead of thin air. She would give anything at that moment to make him and his sake pay the consequence of pissing Ise Nanao off.

A stroke of brilliant idea crossed her mind. _Sake…a sake bottle…_ she snapped her fingers. _That's it! A sake bottle!_ She put the idea to use and tapped the head of the egg on the counter, using her fingers to create a hole not too big and not too small. The egg white flowed right out of the shell like sake, leaving the yolk as she wanted. By enlarging the hole size, the yolk ran out from the shell, in perfect form and shape._ Genius._

_Beat the egg white in a separate bowl until foamy. Gradually add another ½ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar, beating on high speed until soft peaks form. (about 8-10 minutes)_

_Beat egg whites on high speed?_ She frowned in uncertainty. _I didn't know cooks would have to be physically fit to be able to beat this gel of liquid into…soft peaks of whatever._ She shrugged. The book says, Nanao does.

Her muscles ached to the bone as she whisked the egg mixture at 'hight speed.' Certain that something had gone wrong. She'd been beating for 14 minutes and still no signs of any soft peaks. And what was worse was that she hed no idea what she did wrong! She followed every instruction, and yet…

She stopped to calm herself, takking deep breaths._ Ok, Nanao, something is clearly _wrong, but it's not like you could do anything about it anyway. Just stay calm, don't let this get to you and move on to the next step, she advised herself, looking at step 8.

_Gradually fold beaten egg white into the cream cheese mixture, stirring gently._

She pured the gooey liquid on the cheese mixture, forming…a mass of thicker liquid waste.

_Pour into cake pan and smooth out the surface. Place cake pan into large roasting pan and place in lower rack of the oven. Pour enough water into the roasting pan to come half-way up the side of the cake pan._

That was the type of specific directions she wanted.

_Bake for 35-40 minutes until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean._

As she waited for te long, long time for the cake to bake, Nanao decided to clean up the shocking mess she did and to fix herself up in the process. After having the table counter spotless as she found it to be and the floor mopped clean, she sat down on the table, facing her creations. With a mixture of repulsion and…misery, she picked up her chopsticks for the many bites to come.

The appetizer wasn't so bad and she emptied the plate without a grimace, but the chicken—if you could still call it that—was on a totally different scale. She would've choked herself gladly than having those rocky bits in her mouth and stomach. She washed the food down immediately after a bite with tea but was unable to rinse the sickening aftertaste of ash. She decided to eat the egg instead.

"I-Ise fu-fukutaicho," a timid voice purred softly, a head sticking out from the door. "A-are you alright? I-I'm here to help you if you want me to."

Nanao blushed. She must look like a horrible mop of mess and schooled her features as inconspicuously as possible. "Erm, no, I'm fine, thank you."

The female slipped into the room nontheless, closing the door behind her. "I-ise fukutaicho, I'm here to give you something, **but**." She emphasized the word 'but' strongly. "by the taicho's orders, I can't…not unless you eat what you prepared."

She was shaking a little and that stirred up the compassion inside her. Her taicho was slowly ,beginning to impress her with his subtlety as to choose a girl like her, knowing that her conscience could not possibly force the note out of her like she would to to an ordinary person. "Fine. I'll check the cake if it's ready."

"Ise fukutaicho, no, don't open the o—ven." Steam rose from the opened machine and Nanao gazed at what had become of her cake. "The cake will collapse if you open the oven before it's ready…"

Nanao nodded numbly, not at all surprised why she didn't thought about that. "I see..."

The girl rubbed a hand on her left elbow shyly. "You know, the taicho didin't say that you _should_ finish the food," she hinted.

The cake was presented on the table a few minutes after, a wide dent at the center of the golden brown coating. She compared her cake with the cake pictured in the book and raised an eyebrow, scooping a teaspoon of the hot cheesecake for a sample.

The cake's texture was a bit hard and chewy instead of it being soft and sponge-like. The taste was a bit off too ,and it wasn't pleasant at all.

"Ise fukutaicho, you should've used the mixer. Did you beat the eggwhites by hand?" the girl said, tasting the failed cake.

"Ah…yes." Nanao answered, quite flustered._ Of course, the mixer…_ "By the way, what's your name?"

"I'm Sayu, maam." She smiled, a dimple gracing her cheek. "I suppose there's no reason for me to hold onto this any longer, fukutaicho."

The brunette smiled and received the pink note gratefully. "Sayu-san, I was wondering if you could do me a little favor and…." She whispered the rest of her plan to the girl's ear.

Sayu's eyes twinkled in amusement and she nodded in agreement. "If you say so, fukutaicho."

Nanao left with her sense of accomplishment soaring high. Her cheesecake would just have to suffice for her vengeful deed.

* * *

**A/N:** yeah, it's done! I hope you enjoyed it, 'cause it will make me very happy if it did. Once again, I'm positive there are tons of typos or grammatical errors in this chapter. Thanks for reading and please review so I'll be motivated to update faster.

--Gen—

(Special thanks to my classmate Jennifer for teaching me the style of separating the egg yolk from the egg white. I wouldn't have gotten a 90 in the practical test if it wasn't for you. heheheh)


	4. nanao showdown!

**A/N:** it's an update! Yey! And it's still raining. (smile) thanks to all who reviewed. To those who want Shunsui punished for picking on Nanao, I hope this is enough for you!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shunsui or Nanao, but I do own Tachibana and the rest.

* * *

**Chapt. 4. Nanao Showdown!**

Nanao allowed the running water to soothe her nerves while she splashed a handful of it on her face. This is getting ridiculous, she thought, steaming a few degrees as she rubbed her wet hands on her flour-tainted alabaster skin vigorously. Breathing in deeply, she refused to let this prank get to her and exhaled, draining the last drop of frustration from her body (or she tried to, anyway.) She turned the faucet off, ending the continuous stream of tap water. The dry towel added comfort as she gently dabbed it on her wet skin, and probably out of habit, she made an unintentional gesture for her non-existent glasses on the counter.

She clinically inspected her crisp black uniform in order to make a good presenation to the division and left for the training barracks with soaring determination to end the silly game once and for all before it reduces a great portion of her womanly pride.

_**Errand#3**_

_Nanao-chan showdown!_

_I'm so lucky to have such a skillful lieutenant! But let's put your other skills to a test. You're next to go to the training grounds. I have instructed a few men to fight you one by one. Simply, my Nanao-chan will have a fun showdown with the men! Rules have been set and will be explained later on. Show them the merciless warrior behind that gorgeous mask. Happy fighting!_

_Your knight in _pink_ armor,_

Kyouraku Shunsui.

P.S._ if any of those men touch you in any other way (you know what I mean) do your cruel ways with them and please report them to me so they'll receive a good rap on the knuckles like no other they have ever tasted._

As the training grounds neared, a distinct noise of colliding metals and scent of sweat mixed with soil became more perceptible. Soon, sweat-washed bodies in an on-going battle loomed under the torrid, broiling afternoon sun. The men might have sensed her presence since they paused and crowded around her. A man with a semi-bald shaved head and a scarred face stood out from the rest. She recognized him to be the division's 4th seat, Taichi Tachibana. He bowed in reverence.

"Ise-fukutaicho, good day. It will be a tenuous honor to fight you. We all have been preparing hard for this duel to further increase our capacity in battle. Please," he raised his green eyes levelly with hers. "Give us a good battle."

"Well, I-I'm urmm….flattered." She could feel hundreds of eyes boring holes through every inch of her body and looked away, a litle uneasy at the attention. "It will also be an honor to fight my men…" _the hundreds of you…so this is what he meant by _few_…_ "I ask the same favor from you to give me a good fight."

"Of course. I shall now explain the rules the Taicho has instructed. There will be _three hundred_ battles in all with each one of us. After a win, the next person will step in to replace— no rest breaks, but pausing for a while will be allowed as long as it doesn't surpass the three minute time limit. Ise fukutaicho's goal will be to defeat us all, and we all aim on winning likewise. To capture a win, the enemy must either surrender or let go of his sword. It is also in my decision to say whether a fighter is still in the condition to fight. Any battle weapon is permitted whether I may be a zanpakuto combat or kidou match."

"What would happen if I lose then? Will the match end?"

"Well, no, I'm sorry to say losing is not an option for you." He hissed at the men who snickered behind. "Even if you lose, the match will go on. However, we cannot give you what you came for with even a single loss on your part. In your case, every loss will only prolong the time you will be able to receive the note, in a rule of one loss is equivalent to one day. And in our case, every win will include _**three bottles of alcohol for free**_, as promised by the Taicho."

_So that's why you fellows were training as hard as the eleventh…I knew it. You used alcohol to strike an irresistable deal. Cunning Taicho, very cunning. You used a rather good tactict! In addition to the free sake, you made this nreasonable_ _conscequence so I wouldn't take them lightly._

"Shall we start, Ise-fukutaicho?"

"Please."

Tachibana gestured for a man to come forward. A large, burly man with arms thrice the size of hers responded and stepped forward, his sword handled in a choking grip. Frown lines formed in his forehead. It's amazing how three bottles of **free **liquor could affect the bunch! Both fighters stood opposie each other as the rest backed away to watch the first battle.

The man went for offense as soon as the battle started and flicked his large sword toward her as if he was handling a toothpick. The sword landed on the hard, arid earth, breaking the soil with the forceful impact. She alread got behind him even before the sword touched the earth, a familiar heat in her hand. His attack was certainly powerful but the level of speed was still inferior and greatly lacking to compete with hers. She saw the destructive result of he blow and full understood that the power of alcohol should never be underestimated._ Very well then_, she increased the amount of reiatsu to certify his defeat and released the red shot that struck the man's backside. He fell to his feet, wincing at the burn.

"Winner, Ise-fukutaicho! Next competitor, step forward!"

A wave of horror spread hrough the men

"Did you see that? She evaded Jira's powershot with ease!"

"It was hard to see and she didn't even use flash step!"

"Amazing! She didn't even need to mutter the incantation for the kidou spell. Not a muscle in her lips moved! No wonder, Ise-fukutaicho is called a kidou elite."

Nanao flushed brigh pink at the praises and cleared her throat. Now that they'd seen the first battle, surely they wouldn't dare to fight and forfeit alcohol, was what she was thinking.

How wrong she was….

The men didn't seem less determined to win at all. Oh yes, how they love to get their hands on those three bottles—even if it would cost a few pain. She almost believed they'd even sell their soul to the devil for a bottle of _free_ alcohol. _So this is wha happens when a lazy drunk runs the division…_they're like his disciples in training to what, acquire the same liver of steel only their taicho possesses? After the first fall of their comrade and by the command of the fourth seat, the next man stepped out for his shot at winning.

The next enemy was puny compared to the first, but a certain twinkle in his eyes indicated a clever mind behind the size.

"2nd match, begin!" announced Tachibana. Silence washed over them once more.

The enemy released his shikai without wasting a second. Four short blades (two in each hand) with flexible metal wires atached to the edges was thrown her way. Nanao evaded the blow with a sidestep. He grinned and twiched his fingers, and the daggers followed her at his command.

_He's like a puppet master…_ Nanao probed, pushing a foot into the dirt to jump backward. He swung his arms around, playing with his blades to capture her. _Persistent….he doesn't need to retrieve his blades at all…_she made a move to hold onto the wires to paralyze his movements for a few seconds just to take a shot, but quickly withdrew her fingers abruptly.

A dead leaf fell on the ground between them, sliced into two at after passing through the wires.

_It's intangible after all….tsk_.

The game of 'catch me if you can' lasted a while. Nanao fumed as she ducked, rolled and jumped—everyhing just to dodge the four blades. She didn't have time for this! As the man retreated his blades, he gave a big smirk.

"I'm sorry, Ise-fukuaicho, this opportuniy is too great to miss. I can't afford to lose." he hurled the blades and tugged at the strings earlier than normal with his dexterous fingers to perform his finishing move by cornering the rat in the trap. But then…

"And I'm sorry too, but I can't afford to lose either. The price is too much to pay I've wasted enough time already," she breathed ino his ear. The man's eyelids drooped. "Wha…shunpo…" he mutered, collapsing on the ground—snoring.

Cheers errupted from the audience. "She defeated Ryuzaki in 5 minutes! What incredible shunpo!"

"Winner, Ise-fuhutaicho!"

Nanao sighed. _2 down. 298 more to go….this is going to take me hours!_ "Excuse me, men," she yelled at them to grab their attention. "I'm here to retrieve something of value and It's very imporant I get it back as soon as possible. Defeating you all would take me an afternoon, so can you please forfeit your matches and—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, fukutaicho, but we already made a deal with the taicho. _Free sake is at sake_!" a death god said, smiling haughtily. The others agreed. Precious sake is a stake!

Nanao watched in distress as the men refused her offer. "Bu—"

"If I recall it correctly, it was you, Ise-fukuaicho, who taught us to figh to the end for what we believe in. And that's what your men are doing." A humoured Tachibana pointed out.

She groaned mentally. _What has _that_ man done to the squad?!?_

"To **free **sake!" the opposing death god cheered. The rest raised their arms and responded. "**TO FREE SAKE!!!**" they all boomed.

* * *

Shunsui sneezed and rubbed his nose. It had been the 5th one that day and the chances of a cold was to be an option to choose from. It's either that, or someone must've been talking about him all day. He looked out the window to eye the sun. _Maybe Nanao-chan's thinking of her handsome and sexy taicho,_ he joked. "Speaking of her, she should be battling the men by this time. Tsk. Pity I couldn't see it with my own eyes," he said wistfully, sighing, and shrugging it off. "Oh well. Back to business!"

* * *

Sweat rolled down her cheek and temple, her pulse quickening as she directly targeted the man's front with a flash of kidou. She mopped her damp face with her sleeve, her panting growing heavier as Tachibana proclaimed her victory. It was her 299th victor and her reiatsu had been enormously depleted.

"Fukuaicho,"

Nanao jerked at the man's concerned touch. "Tachibana-san." She gratefully took the water bottle he offered her and gulped three mouthfulls.

"If you want, I can give you a ten-minute break to rest for a while. Fighting 299 men with _only_ kidou must've surely tired you out." She saw the worry in his soft gaze and smiled.

"Don't worry, I still have enough reiatsu for one last battle."

"I will not go easy on you, fukutaicho. I **will **make you draw your zanpakuto."

"That's exactly what I expect from you, Tachibana-san. I've gone a long way; I can't lose now if I still plan on retrieving my glasses from _that _man."

The men's cheers resounded throughout barracks for their last and strongest fighter.

"I'm sorry, but none of the men will receive their three bottles of alcohol today— including you."

The scarred man simpered and gave a bow of deep respect. "Here I go, fukutaicho."

"Don't hold back."

The men gasped when Tachibana disappeared from sight in a second and reappeared at Nanao's zone. He aimed for the neck muscle, but the woman in front of him was too quick and parried with a kick to his instead.

"What impressive footwork. Why is someone so strong still at fourth seat?" she panted when he blocked her leg wih his arm.

He grinned in amusement. "Why, thank you. That's because," he squatted and slid a leg against her straight ones. "It's not worth defeaing that arrogant Enjouji Tatsufusa," He finished.

"You could be the division's lieutenant and take my place sooner than you think." She hopped a few feet into the air to let his leg pass and thrusted her leg for another kick on the chin.

He bent his head backward and withdrew. "Why would I want to do that? Only _you_ can run the division this well. Besides, the Taicho would be upset if I did—not that I ever would."

Nanao delayed her next move and posed both hands on her hips for a scolding. "Flattery doesn't work on me, if you didn't know."

Tachibana beamed in delight, adding a giddy expression to his handsome features. "As expeced, I can't win at all without drawing my sword." He separated the long sword from its sheath, tucked in his uniform's belt sash, and held the gleaming steel proudly. "_Burn, Hell Fire._" He whispered to his zanpakuto. At its master's command, the soul slayer's shiny metal exterior converted to a cool color of white blue. "Beware, fukutaicho. My _Hell fire_ will burn anything it touches."

"Thank you for the warning; however, if I really am an enemy, I would've used that to my advantage. Don't announce your zanpakuto's abiliy to your foe, idiot!" she rebuked with austerity in voice, backstepping twice to avoid the long, furrid blade that slashed the air. she shot a spell at the open target.

"I'm sorry, but I do think it would be necessary for you to know. I _really _wouldn't want anyhing to happen to you." He successfully divided the spell in two with his sword and continued coming at her. She slipped from his relentless attacks gracefully, comprehending that she could no longer shoot with a low ranked kidou with only a little amount of reiatsu pumped into it.

As the battle raged on, Nanao's reiatsu was reduced with every attack she made with demon arts—only to have it evaded or cut in two. A crease formed on her flawless forehead. _My few remaining energy will be wasted to nothing if I let this keep up. I will need to end this before my limit comes to its end using shunpo…._

Her eyes must've negligently given out her plan since he moved to her back with great speed—completely reading and copying her moves as well. He raised his sword-drawn arm to seal all her movements.

Dammit! He had caught her when her attention was still focused on her plan at the same time, unarmed. She tilted her head back slightly to her right. _If this is the case, then I have no choice. I cannot lose this fight…_ Tentatively, she dipped a hand into her left sleeve, grasping the hilt of the hidden object; and she swerved her body to the right, facing him head on.

The movement was sudden and quick. _Oh shit!_ Tachibana begged his sword to shift the course of the attack, but this is a particularly too hard of a task to behold, and he only half-succeeded in doing so the tip of his sword scratched a portion of her upper right cheek. He now stood defenseless for her attack.

Nanao drew the hilt from the cloth that sheltered it for so long and glided her arm at his direction. It slammed onto his face with full force.

She blinked at the stiff white paper feather of her folded _**fan** _still slapped on his face. Her short sword would've left a space of 3 centimeters from his nose, but the fan was different both in size and shape and so no such space existed. She felt her cheeks burn—not because of Tachibana's sword, but of pure humiliation. She had gotten the wrong weapon!

The fourth seat groaned when the fan retreated, leaving him a nasty red streak marked diagonally on his face and a bleeding nose. He had lost grip of his soul slayer and it lay on the ground, rendered back to its natural form when the master failed control over its shikai. He clamped a hand on his blood smeared nose and lip, completely taken by shock.

"Tachibana, I'm so sorry!" she assisted her own handkerchief on his nose to stop the bleeding.

The men produced gasps and noises while donning big fearful eyes at her. She glanced at them briefly. "Is something wrong?" she noted Tachibana to be wearing the same horrified expression. His eye twitched furiously, his face turning to a shade of blue—similar to his zanpakuto.

The man could hear his heart pumping deafeningly in his ears when he meticulously caught sight of the swollen pach of skin where his sword had scratched her and gulped. He had inflicted damage to_ his_ Nanao-chan's gorgeous face. In other words, he was a dead man. He snapped from his execution musings and eyed her at a professional level. His nose had stopped bleeding but his smile was still somewhat pained. With a flick of his wrist, the men in bandages came crowding behind him. They all gave a gallant bow to their undefeated lieutenant.

"Ise-fukutaicho, this is your battle. I admitt defeat—we all do. You have fought each one of us fairly and for that we are grateful for. As reward, I believe this now belongs to you," he slipped out the pink note from his pocket, her hand taking it. Was it just her or did the men have tears in their eyes?! "Now, let's get that wound treated."

Nanao was astonished when the men rushed in with every sort of first aid in hand as they delicately pampered her burning cut as if she was of noble descent. At last, with a band aid pasted on her cheek, she bid the men goodbye.

"I thank you too for he wonderful battle," she addressed the men in casts _and_ slings. "I enjoyed our battle immensely." She gave them the same bow, hearing hushed whimpers from the lot like the ones her taicho gives her when she takes away his sake.

A cunning—bordering _evil_—smile played her lips. "Tachibana-san," she turned to face the fourth seat.

"Hai, fukutaicho?"

She leaned closely to his ear. "There's a cabinet in the kitchen where Taicho stores his _monthly alcohol_," she whispered, pressing the cold metal key on his palms. "You and your men can help yourself to your heart's content."

He gawked at her. "Kyouraku Taicho's _sacred _cabinet?! Are you sure, Ise-fukutaicho?"

"Of course!" she grinned mischievously and winked. "Don't leave a drop."

The division stared at their new savior's backside with gleaming eyes as she left. A man clapped Tachibana's shoulder while the others eagerly raced to the kitchen for a drink fest.

"He warned us about being careful when battling. What do you think the taicho will do if he sees the blemish on the fukutaicho's face?"

Tachibana slumped his shoulders and sighed miserably. "He'll either wring my neck or cut it off. I'll just wash my remaining time away with alcohol. At least I'll be enjoying my last hours."

* * *

Ta-da! Do you think Shunsui has been tortured enough? Leave a review people! It's a long chapter! Thanks for reading and hope you like it, goodnight. (It's night time here.)

**--Gen—(PlEaSe ReViEw! and give corrections if you please. i'm not immune to Typo/ grammar/ spelling errors.)**


	5. the lone flower

**A/N:** Ah…so it comes to an end. This was really fun. I enjoy writing Shunsui Nanao fics so much. Thanks for those who had and **will **review! This last chapter is for you guys so I hope you'll enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapt. 5. The lone flower**

**Errand#4**

_You're getting closer, Nanao-chan! Very close! After defeating those men, I'm sure you feel exhausted. So why not unwind those knotted shoulders by taking a refreshing dip. For this errand, my Nanao-chan will be taking a swim! You can scout every corner of the deserted northern lake (Yes, that's my napping place you raided a few years ago!) I set afloat a bottle containing my note, but that had been hours ago, so it must've drifted off far away by now for you to find! Enjoy your swim!_

_Your personal lifeguard (who wouldn't mind in the least doing mouth-to-mouth for the sake of _lifesaving

_Kyouraku Shunsui._

**P.S**. _I have already casted a _very_ complicated barrier around the chosen field that I'm sure only you can enter. However, it would help put my sick, worried mind at ease if you would courteously add a teens bit more defensive spells to the barrier (maybe around _ten_ would do) to make sure no unwanted outsider would catch a glimpse of my Nanao-chan's body **before me.**_

_"Hmph. He seemed confident enough to think he'll ever see my body..." _While her reaction should have been leaning towards the angry side, she was stunned at how it could affect her so…in a _good_ way, that it went exactly half-way the opposite reaction—the pleased side. The folded note joined its fellow siblings in her pocket. _The deserted north side lake…_ a memory triggered a soft smile and she disappeared with the blow of the wind using shunpo.

xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

She stepped lightly on rock after rock, thrusting her body forward to cover more distance. She passed by what had been once a village of houses, and now, after centuries of war and battles, lay merely rubble with a few bricks that still managed to stand together that once formed the wall of a house. She crossed the maze of time worn remains with an accurate sense of direction, having the route etched into heart after the many times she would go 'Taicho hunting.' Her steps visibly decreased in speed when she sensed her Taicho's familiar heavy reiatsu weigh down on her like a sack of sand. She discarded the use of shunpo and walked naturally until she came into closure with the covert wall packed with her taicho's reiatsu. Muttering an equally an equally complex seal breaking spell, she was barely able to pass the barrier with the dangerously little amount of reiatsu she had managed to gather between periods that it left her gasping for air when she stepped foot on the other side. She got down to one knee.

_Casting a barrier was reasonable, but tackling such a high-classed spell is too dangerous when a person's not at his best, especially after fighting three hundred men one by one is practically suicidal!_ Nanao took deep, slow breaths and regained composure.

She gazed at the new sight presented to her with shock. The once parched earth leading to the lake side had been cleared and replaced by a fertile and grassy soil that grew wild flowers. The tree on the side had branched out its leaves of emerald after once being presumed dead. She fingered the black burnt scar made by her kidou on the coarse skin of the tree that had served as a napping spot for her taicho and bit her lip to refrain a smile. She wanted to give him credit for the beautiful gardening renovation, but the fact that he probably used his_ loathsome_ office time for his artistic creation made her hesitate.

_"What are you doing?! Get back to work, Nanao! Time's running out!"_ Her inner voice screeched heatedly. She shook her head to wake her up from her trip down memory lane and pressed on to matters more important than grass _or_ flowers.

Her glasses.

She made her way to the lakeside, scanning the area twice for any impossible signs of life that might have gotten through the barrier. Seeing how no one could've made it through the obstacle alive, she wrinkled her nose in a grimace and disrobed to her underwear. Her lieutenant armband fell to the ground first, followed by the light black garment of her daily attire. She gritted her teeth and turned red as the roses herself with only her hairclip holding out her buffeted dignity. But even the hairclip had to go. She dipped a foot inside the crystal fresh water, a surge of icy shock formed goose bumps on her flesh as her trembling body waded in the shallow part of the lake. As the water deepened to her thigh, Nanao tightly closed her eyes, clenched her fist, and dove into the ice-cold water.

* * *

The brunette drifted aimlessly, her face facing the pink and blue stained sky of dusk. She softly propelling her legs under the water. _What a ridiculous day this has turned out to be….._she thought._ Normally I would still be sitting in the office, but instead, I'm floating senselessly on a lake far from humanity._ The thorough search for the roving bottle tired her out, and since she found the cool water pleasant and relieving to her weary muscles, she had been adrift ever since. 

But the bottle wasn't the only one wandering. Her mind did its own share of wandering thoughts as well. It tarried on a particular subject named Kyouraku Shunsui longer than desired. She had only known him for half a century from being his lieutenant when she percepted an uncanny attraction towards the man she considered to be her superior. Whatever the reason may be to explain her emotions, she did not know.

_Maybe It's because he's so….**different**._ until now, she hadn't met any man who could wear pink _everyday_ and still keep their manly pride spotless as well as attract even **more** women aside from him. The number of hours he slept per day totaled her sleeping hours in two days (sometimes three.) Yet despite such unprofessional manner, he is most respected by everyone—especially the eighth division. _Well, that can also be affected by age…_ True, Kyouraku Shunsui undoubtedly older than most men and was a few four to five centuries older than her. The age gap was another reason why she didin't understand herself whenever she feels a pull at her chest at his presence. She never considered to like old men and used to prefer men her own age or _closer_ to her age anyway. But come to think of it, he had already violated nearly all (if not all) of her set standards without breaking a sweat.

* * *

_"Love is blind and comes so unexpectedly," her friend, Masumoto informed. "sometimes the person you least expect to like may just be the one you'll fall in love with. Now, isn't that romantic? You know…just like," she gave a fake cough and nudged her eyebrows at the approaching captain. "Sometimes, it's better not to fight it, honey."_

_"Kyou-kyouraku Taicho?!" Nanao sputtered, laughing at the ludicrous idea. "Rangiku, you've been reading those cheesy love novels again, haven't you? Besides, loud, pink-wearing Casanovas are not my type. He's not even close to appeasing my standards. And lastly, he's myTaicho. It's clearly not professional……."_

_Matsimoo rolled her eyes. Nanao's lecure was cut short when the buxom woman shrugged knowingly, skipping away when the captain neared. "You'll never know, darling!" she sang, her smile reachin her ear. "I always see you with that look whenever he's around."_

* * *

Nanao closed her eyes, a breath vacating her mouth. '_That' look huh….since when did I have 'that' look…_

* * *

Her running footsteps were the only sound aside from the wind that could be heard for miles. The young, raven-haired girl swung her white clad arms and legs faster, not knowing how long she could abstain the tears flooding her vision. She was weak, pathetic, and ugly—all the qualities of a worthless person. Her hands supported her body when she fell on her knees when she reached the end of the lakeside, salted drops of liquid splattering down on the ground. The jagged rocks dug into her knees and palms at the full force of her fall, and she sobbed, releasing all the hurt and pain in her chest. The roaring laughter of the other students played in her ears. Only a pathetic person would fail to hit the mark in _kidou_ practice. 

"My. My. What is this girl crying about?" a deep voice said. "I can't sleep when someone's drowning herself with her tears."

Nanao jerked her head to her left and hunted the man with sodden eyes, retreating in horror. Beside her, no farther than four meters was a man lying with his back on a pink fabric draped on the earth, his long arms folded behind his head with twin zanpakuos by his side. His eyes studied her features lazily. "Ne, you haven't answered my question, Miss."

She looked back into his earthen eyes. It didn't cross her mind that someone else would be present. Not once had she encountered a soul during the times she would pay her hiding spot a visit and yet here was a man who stared at her after listening to her crying like a loser. She slipped her head down shamefully and tried to cover her face with her black bangs. "I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed your sleep, sir. I'll leave right away."

"You'll do nothing of the sort," he grunted, bending his finger back and forth to bid her to come closer. He propped himself on both elbows when she squatted beside him, her eyes apparently still bloodshot from crying. "So then, now that we're all comfortable, why don't you tell me what's wrong."

A blush was her sole reply.

"'Nothing' will not satisfy the explanation for disturbing my nap, Miss stranger-chan. Don' be embarrassed. I don't watch and tell, you know." He gave a dopey smile that comforted her somehow.

"I'm sorry, sir. It really is nothing. I just…needed to breathe and…let go. I didn't think someone would be here…"

"Let go of the hurt?" he confirmed, uncorking a sake bottle.

"Y-yes, sir," Nanao answered distractedly as the man gulped the whole content of the bottle in a minute.

"Any chances of being taunted in the academy, because of inferiority in battle skills, perhaps? Looks?" the man turned his bottle upside down. "Tsk, no more sake?"

For a moment, Nanao forgot all about her issues and eyed the pink coated stranger shaking the liquor bottle, hoping to get a drop out of it. _Who is this person?_ She wondered, furrowing her eyebrows when the man pouted his lips like a child.

"I must have drunk too fast. I'm sorry, I couldn't give you any. It helps, you know. Now, where were we? Ah, right, the reason why you were so depressed." Gently handling from the chin, he tipped her head to all angles, inspecting every aspect of her face critically. "Well, personally, I don't think that looks would've been the problem. You're absolutely beautiful from every angle. So that would leave your skills." He breathed to her lips.

A hearty laugh erupted when her cheeks surpassed the limit of pure red embarrassment. "Is it right? Am I getting warmer?"

_What's wrong with him…_ "I-I…yes…sir. And…I'm not allowed to drink…academy's rules."

"What's wrong?" he asked tenderly when she brushed the back of her hand on her eyes.

"I told you, it's nothing!" Nanao retorted defensively.

He found it amusing and smiled a lopsided grin. "Did anyone tell you how _cute_ you look when you're angry? Anyone would adore those gorgeous blue-violet eyes…"

"If you don't mind me saying, I don't think it's appropriate to flirt, sir." She told him off maturely.

He laughed again. "That's a nice line, Miss. Priceless!" He pouted playfully. "Well, even though you won't tell me what's wrong, I'll tell you something anyway. See that flower over there?" Nanao looked at the said object—a violet flower nestled on the barren earth, it's petals still closed. "Now, don't you find that lone flower amazing? I haven't got a clue to why that flower was planted here of all places and yet it struggles to live. It patiently endures the inclement weather and everything that comes across its path. And look, all the adversities this little flower made it to be the flower you see today: a flower who closed itself to the lies of the world and fought to live is now about to bloom into the beautiful plan it will surely be. I think that lone flower's beauty when it reaps is rewards of labor after its bloom will be incomparable. Likewise," he patted a rough, calloused hand on her ebony hair, "a lone flower like you shouldn't listen to the lies of man. Don't let hem discourage you into thinking that you can't or you're not. Fight the pain and grow—even if you have to do it alone. You'll see, one day you'll outshine the rest."

Nanao absorbed his words like water to a sponge.

"Take a deep breath, little Miss." He advised, his long legs seemingly to protest when he stood up. "Yare, I just hate it when beautiful girls like you cry. You've got a nice jaw line. Show it off and keep that sturdy chin up high. The next time we'll see each one another, make sure you're a full-fledged shinigami by then. Ja-ne, lovely-chan." He winked and ran a hand through his tousled brown hair donning his zanpakuo on the blue sash of his robes. A yawn accompanied him as he went away. "Who knows, maybe one day, someone would be nice enough to plant some companions for the lone flower. That way, it won't need to bear the burden alone."

* * *

Violet met the reddening sky when an object struck the top of her head. She pulled herself up from her reclined position on the water and looked behind her. A few feet away drifted the bottle of sake, being beaten by the gentle ripples of water. 

"Oh?"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxooxoxo

Nanao trudged uphill while she pulled her pants up her legs and over her top, bottle gripped in hand. She stopped by the group of flowers scattered in rainbow colors. In the middle was the lone flower of blue-violet—still as beautiful and strong as ever—except that it wasn't alone anymore. Several flowers were fanned around it, but only one forced a smile out of her. Beside the lone flower was another flower, its showy petals as pink as his haori waving at the breeze.

_"Maybe one day, someone would be nice enough to plant some companions for the lone flower. ..that way it won't need to bear the burden alone…"_

Taking moment to end the reminiscing, Nanao's disciplined self took over, and she shifted back to her strict self and uncorked the bottle. The pink note slipped out into her wet palms, and she read it silently. Muttering a quick curse word, Nanao disappeared as fast as she could with shunpo. The note fell forgotten on the bed of flowers, on it were two words hastily scribbled.

Nanao-chan's room.

* * *

The eigth division captain intertwined a curl of his hair in his finger. "Yare, maybe it was tougher than I thought. Nanao-chan's surely taking her time. Hmm…maybe I should give her a little peek…" he paused, recalling that his nanao-chan wasn't dressed so decently and added, "Just to see if she's safe." Shunsui frowned, arguing wih himself whether to stay or leave when a still wet Nanao calmly strode into the room—_her _room. 

"Nanao-chan, there you are!" the jaunty man cried. "I was about to go look for you since you were taking so long but then—" his face darkened, tone serious as he walked over to caress the strip of bandage on her cheek. "Who did this? Scratching my Nanao-chan's face is a crime worse than death!" he wailed as serious turned into drama. "Tell me, who—"

Nanao rolled her eyes. "Koyuraku Taicho, I apologize for saying impertinent words, but I _demand _you give me back my glasses _now_, sir!"

Shunsui drilled his eyes on her face, her gorgeous face hidden from everyone by all these times. He felt an urge so intense to let his tongue roll down on the floor like a red carpet at the sight of her but suppressed it with every ounce of self-control he had—_both _physical _and_ mental. Her damp robes hugged every inch of skin, clinging on tightly, that it showed off her womanly curves. What he liked the most was her hair hanging freely on her shoulders, still freshly soaked from the swim. Her loose hair dripping on its ends, exotic clear blue-violet eyes, sensuous pink lips he would love to devour at that moment that became more eye-catching against her soft, pearly skin made her look so_ lascivious_ than any woman he had ever encountered that he feared his racing heart might rip out of his chest any moment along with his eyeballs.

"And what if I don't want to?" he tested, his voice sounding hoarse since her burning beauty dried his mouth so badly.

"Sir!" the lieutenant objected in shock. "You have no right to take my personal belongings without my consent. It's called _stealing._ And you can't intrude on another person's quarters either!"

The man whimpered like an abused animal. "How mean, Nanao-chan! I wasn't stealing. I just took it for a while so it's _borrowing._ Besides, I don't remember that a Taicho teaching his Fukutaicho a lesson is prohibited in Soul Society. In fact, it _is_ my right as _Captain _to punish and correct a Lieutenant's bad behavior."

He caught the fire in her eyes as she spoke. "Sir, since when have I harbored this 'bad behavior' you speak of? I am perfectly aware of my behavior and find no fault with it."

"Is disobedience a sign of bad behavior, Nanao?"

"Yes… sir," she said carefully at the dropped honorific. "But what does that have to do…"

An outstretched finger made her stop at mid-sentence. His mood changing like the weather to serious. "I don't like it when my Nanao-chan exhausts herself so much from work that she even needs a _box_ of chocolates and six_ bags_ of tea to keep her awake night after night."

Nanao casted a fiery glare, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a sign that things were about to heat up. "So I'm disobeying just because I work so hard to make it within the due date?"

"Yes, you are. I clearly remember that I once told you not to risk your health for work. Geez, you didn't even bother to ask for my help or even remind me that it's already the 'busy month' of the year."

"Well, sir, even if I did tell you, it's not like you were going to do anything about it!" she exclaimed heatedly.

"Yes, I will!" he shot back, silencing her. "Maybe not at ordinary paperwork, but this, I would. I would gladly do my share of work if that's the only way of makin you sleep 7-8 hours a day like a normal adult should!"

Nanao stood dumbfounded by his outburst._ "That way it won't have to bear the burden alone."_

The Lieutenant lowered her glance. She slipped her lower lip in between her teeth and bowed humbly. "I'm…sorry, sir, for disobeying your orders. I wasn't aware that I was already offending you. Once again, I'm sorry. I understand and will not object to rebuke and punishment. But," she stopped and continued. "I don't agree with you taking my glasses without permission when you could've told me about it and punish my behavior accordingly on a_ professional_ level so I wouldn't have gone through all the _frivolous_ errands you threw on me."

"Well, Nanao-chan, those _frivolous_ errands weren't just to annoy you. They are my way of teaching you some lessons you need to drill into your head."

"And in what way could that teach me aside from humiliation?" Nanao said, scowling a bit that lines appeared on her forehead.

"Number one," he held out a finger. "You need to eat more and stop skipping meals—breakfast, lunch, _and_ dinner. I hope you enjoyed your cooking, because if you won't listen, I **will** have you do it again. I can very well make that into an order, Nanao-chan." He stuck out another finger. "Number two, you need to exercise more often! Getting cooped up in a stuffy office all day doing work can do horrors to your body's shape. Not that I believed you looked any different," he quickly added by the frown on her face. "but it's good to get out into the fresh air and sunshine. Sweaing off toxins is good for the body and helps in better sleep. Also, I promise you, Nanao-chan, the person who inflicted that hideous scar on your face will not go unpunished—ow!" he yelped when she swatted his hand away as he wanted to caress the wound. He cleared his throat to retain seriousness. "Moving on to number three," the third finger popped into view. "You need to relax more, my lovely-chan. You always look so tense and tired. Give those hard board shoulders and knotted eyebrows of yours a rest. I presume the cool water worked wonders for you, stating from your look. It's as if you've taken off the mask that aged you a few years. Now, I hope my lesson has been clear and understood."

Nanao hesitated but finally consented to admit that he had a point. "Y-yes, sir. But I still don't see the lesson behind the first errand."

This made Shunsui think for a while. "Ahh…right.there is a lesson behind errand# 1, Nanao-chan, and I want it drilled, glued, stamped, pressed, engraved—whaever it takes to keep this in your head. After travelling from the eighth division to the _very far_ central library, surely—**certainly**—you** must** feel beautiful, because you are. I know very well that the library is situated between numerous halls and corridors so a great number of people should've caught sight of you since shunpo isn't allowed in hallways. I can just picture you walking along with people staring senselessly at you." He lifted up her chin so that her eyes met with his. "Have some confidence. You're the last person in the world I would think ugly or not worth the attention."

She masked the blush professionally with a stoic remark, crushing all efforts of a romantic moment. "I see you're all finished, sir. So can I please have my glasses back?"

He sighed. "My Nanao-chan is so good at tearing a man's hopes to pieces sometimes. Alright. Alright. You can have your glasses back," he said, putting on a slight childish tantrum. H pulled out the black frames from his robes and waved it in the air. But just as she was about to take it from him, his whole arm slyly pulled the glasses upward, higher into the air that's out of her reach. "**After** I get my final reward," he finished, grinning menacingly.

"Kyouraku Taicho!" she reprimanded, jumpin to get a better chance in retrieving her treasure.

"One kiss! It's not a hard reward, Nanao-chan." He reasoned stubbornly, holding the object in the air as his tall frame could manage.

"And what have you done to deserve a reward, taicho? You didn't do anything but write down your notes while I did them all!"

Shunsui shook his head defiantly. "I did something hard too! It isn't easy to just sit around and fight the jealousy of so many men gawking at my Nanao-chan _all day long_."

Nanao stopped reaching and stood still, stunned.

"Oh? Is my Nanao-chan giving in?" he teased, bending his head and facing his stubble covered cheek to her. He prepared himself for a bruise or swollen cheek the following day.

The brunette watched his every move until he finally presented her a cheek. Without giving herself a moment to think about the situation, she stood on her toes and pecked his cheek.

Brown eyes popped open when he felt the weight of soft lips dropping on his cheek instead of the awaited super Nanao punch or slap he always got. "Nanao—"

Nanao used the opportunity to get her glasses while he still had his guard down and took it effortlessly from his fingrs. "Yes. Yes. You got your reward, Taicho, so I get my glasses back. Now, if you would please leave so I can rest after such a tiring day."

He opened his mouth and closed it again, nodding in contentment. "Have a good night's sleep, Nanao-chan."

"Oh, Kyouraku Taicho," she called after the man before he closed the door. "I baked a cheesecake a while ago and thought that you might as well deserve it for the _needless effort_. It should be by your door."

An ecstatic smile bloomed on his face before he closed the door; his insides bursting with joy. He hummed a merry tune as he walked away to his own quarters, bearing his 'kissed face' with pride. He made a note to treat Matsumoto on an all-you-can-drink liquor feast for telling him the rumor that made all of it happen, at the same time, thinking how his Nanao-chan's cake _for him_ would taste like .

Yes, just as Matsumoto said, it was_ definitely_ worth it.

* * *

**A/N:** The End! Hah! So who's the evil one now? Review please! Shunsui's so sweet and caring in this chapter so I hope you 'punish Shunsui' mob will change your minds about wanting him tortured! Thanks for reading this story and I'm sorry for the many errors you may find. This is for BlackVelvetBand's Shunsui Nanao challenge (even though I'm realllly late. Hehehehe.) 

**--Gen—(Whoot! Fill the world with more of SN fics. Lol)**

"Review, ok? This is the longest chapter I've written since….well, _ever_. Yes. Yes. I'm pathetic. So give this poor, hopeless, struggling writer a chance and review! Your opinions matters. Toodles."


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